Black armbands and a minute’s applause at all Premier League grounds this weekend to honour the great Cyrille Regis, who died this week, aged just 59. Cyrille was plucked from obscurity in 1977 and suddenly found himself, alongside Laurie Cunningham and Brendan Batson at West Brom. Affectionately nicknamed The Three Degrees, they were three of only four black footballers playing in the top flight, and the racist abuse they suffered was unimaginable. But instead of getting angry, Cyrille responded in the best possible way – by sticking the ball in the back of their net, time and time again. I saw him play many times at Loftus Road, where he was welcomed rather than abused. Maybe because the ground is in Shepherds Bush, between Notting Hill and Harlesden, home to big black communities. Or because Cyrille himself was brought up in Notting Hill, then Harlesden and we all knew he was a secret QPR fan.